Earlier tonight, PETCO representatives got a rough reception from Richmond District residents at a community meeting set up to discuss one of their Unleashed by PETCO stores moving in to the vacant retail space at 5411 Geary.
PETCO currently has two large stores in San Francisco; one of them is in the outer Sunset on Sloat Boulevard. Representatives at the meeting said that many of the shoppers at those stores are from the Richmond District, based on zip code data that is collected at checkout.
PETCO believes there’s a strong market for pet supplies and pet food in the Richmond District, and they are eager to provide a third location to service their west side customers. PETCO estimates that $9 million is spent annually at stores in the Richmond District on pet food, supplies and services. The store they’re proposing to open is one of their Unleashed by PetCo stores, which are typically half the size of their usual superstores. The 5411 Geary location is roughly 5,000 square feet.
In addition to selling pet supplies, Unleashed by PETCO also offers pet services like dog training, pet insurance, pet sitting, vaccinations, and DNA breed testing. Neither live animals nor grooming services are offered at Unleashed locations, which is typical of the larger PETCO stores. There are currently 28 Unleashed stores across California, DC, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia.
The meeting drew about 50 residents to the Richmond District Recreation Center, where it began with Yvette Davis from Berg Davis Public Affairs introducing the project. The firm had been hired to assist PETCO in their community outreach about the new store.
Davis said they had engaged in community outreach to alert residents and merchants about last night’s community meeting and PETCO’s plans to move in, but when pressed by an audience member, she admitted that their outreach only went as far out as a 300 foot radius of the 5411 Geary location (about one square block).
PETCO later clarified via email that they also sent multilingual notices to 250 residents, neighborhood groups, newspapers, local blogs (including this one), and emailed their customers that live in the Richmond.
As we reported earlier today, pet store owners in the Richmond District have organized to block PETCO’s arrival over concerns of unfair competition that would drive them out of business.
Two neighborhood pet store owners were on hand at the meeting – Roy Schmall of Cal’s Pet Supply (California & 22nd) and John Todgya of B&B Pet Supplies (Geary & 12th Avenue).
Several residents spoke up in support of Cal’s Pet Supply, with one woman saying “We like this hometown kind of touch.” Cal’s has been in operation for 25 years and would be just 1/4 mile from the new PETCO.
One man, identified as Bob Starzel, said he and 29 other neighbors invested in Cal’s to keep it afloat after it suffered extensive damage from a construction accident in June 2009. Starzel spoke strongly to the PETCO representatives, telling them that if their store “threatens the continuation of Cal’s Pet Supply, then you will have a very hostile community.”
Another resident was also wary of the large retailer making a move into the neighborhood and its potential threat to the small pet shops. “We know these businesses and we’ll fight very hard to make sure that they’re protected. We’ll dig in if we have to.”
Not everyone at the meeting was opposed to PETCO moving in. Locksmith owner Brian Jones, who runs a shop on Geary Boulevard, said he would like to see the empty storefront filled. 5411 Geary has been vacant for nearly two years since Walgreens closed and moved further up Geary. He believes that the additional shoppers PETCO attracts would be good for all merchants in the neighborhood. “I think it would help my business. I’d like to see something move in there.”
Also at the meeting was a representative from CB Richard Ellis, a firm hired by PetCo to help them find new retail locations. He shared an interesting statistic with the audience – 25% of retail space in the Richmond District is currently vacant. That’s one of the highest among city neighboroods where the average retail vacancy rate is 4%.
The Richmond was at just 5% in the first quarter of 2008, but in the last 3 years, it has soared to 25%. PETCO opponents countered that the statistic actually boosted their argument, because the chain store moving in could mean the demise of several small pet shops. “You’re making our argument – we don’t want more empty space.”
The CB Richard Ellis representative asked the audience what kind of retailer would be suitable to take over the 5,000 square foot space with its sizeable rent? A plucky high school student raised his hand and said he thought an electronics store like Apple would be perfect. That got some applause.
The PETCO representatives also took some heat at the meeting over the company’s history of animal neglect at their San Francisco stores. In 2002, the city filed a lawsuit against PETCO, alleging animal “cruelty and pattern of brazen violations of San Francisco health and safety standards.”
Though the Unleashed by PETCO stores do not sell live animals, B&B Pet Supplies owner John Todgya said many of his customers were opposed to any PETCO moving in because of their poor reputation for animal care. He said he had 3,000 signatures on a petition opposing PETCO, and vowed to collect many more to block their arrival.
The interior of an Unleashed by PetCo store in Hillcrest, CA
Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar was also at the meeting, and was asked by a resident to share his thoughts on the issues being discussed. Mar said “I am proud of the Richmond District for standing up for their small businesses,” but he did not reveal whether or not he supports PETCO moving in to the neighborhood.
Mar also said he was “sensitive to their fears of the process”, referring to the small business owners at the meeting. He also said that more outreach should be made to be made to the Chinese and Russian speaking residents and merchants in the area.
Last night’s public meeting was one of the first steps in the process for PETCO as they apply to the city for their conditional use permit. Once they file their application, it typically takes two to three months to reach the Planning Commission for final approval at a public hearing. If approved, the Unleashed by PETCO store could open by the end of the summer.
However the residents and small business owners that are opposed to PETCO seem prepared for a long fight. Also of note is a new Pet Food Express that will be opening soon at the corner of California and Presidio. Just ask them about what neighborhood opposition means. They ended up at the California Street location because the retail space they originally wanted on Lombard was never approved due to intense opposition from Marina residents and pet store owners.
KTVU News was also at the meeting and aired a segment on last night’s 10 O’Clock news.
Sarah B.
Again, let Petco build in the empty storefront. I’m glad that there are people that are against putting Petco in. Here’s an easy way to tell Petco that you don’t like them, don’t shop there. Let your wallet do the talking and shop somewhere else. People want to fight to prevent a business from moving in that would actually help Geary out. Instead of wasting your energy fighting to keep them out use your energy to shop the little guy.
As to the comment that somebody wants an Apple store there, I’m sorry but that’s not going to happen. Apple does not normally build outside of major areas.
Face it, there aren’t many prospective tenants for that piece of real estate. With a 25% availability rate in the Richmond most businesses will look at that and think something is wrong with the area, I’m sure they’re saying “what’s wrong with that area that businesses are shuttering”. Let Petco build and that may actually attract new larger businesses when they see that they can make money in the Richmond.
Neighbors need to be realistic about what sort of business can successfully occupy 5000 square feet of retail and be able to pay the rent. Hint: it’s not a mom and pop shop.
I just saw a Petco going in at the old Hollywood Video on California, did anyone protest that?
Nancy, that’s the Pet Food Express referenced in the article.
The question is, is it worth it to fill that 5000 sq ft of space knowing that it might cause other locations to go out of business? There’s very few stores that can fill that space that *won’t* compete with local shops. But there are some.
I’m in the camp to let Petco and any other major retail chain open up shop in the Richmond. As a small business owner myself, I recognize that you need to offer a competitive product at a fair price, or you should not be in business. We need tenants in the neighborhood, providing jobs and services for the community. I don’t care if their management sits in SF or in a far away locale. If a local shop can occupy this space, great. However, they’ve had two years to step to the plate and haven’t, yet. As for the comments in other postings about this issue that the local businesses keep the money local, I’m pretty confident that their merchandise comes from the same overseas manufacturing plants as Petco’s. I’m not against the smaller businesses, in fact I do all I can to frequent them. However, I do believe that banning other businesses because they’d be competitive is an entirely inappropriate approach, one that ends up hurting the residents of the Richmond. Signed: Capitalist and realist living in the Richmond
P.S.: As for Eric Mar and his staff, please focus on the local issues and the local economy. You represent D1, not the nation. We need help on Geary, Clement, and across the avenues, where your electorate work and reside.
hey -nice reporting!
So, why isn’t Mar and his staff doing *outreach* to business brokers who might be able to find a business that could land there. 25% vacancy rate? Unreal! So, where is Mar. I’ll tell you; he’s posturing for something larger; staying “neutral’ until he sees which move, position, stance, or speech will serve *him* the best. btw, most politicians are just like Mar; they promise a lot to gain position, but don’t deliver very much. Why? Because when they get into office they find out that their entire political enterprise is about making deals at high levels. Result? Disappointed constituents. Very, very few politicians – Mar included – are leaders. Instead, they’re player that carefully calculate every move, every word, to maintain their spot on the balance beam of political and institutional power.
About PETCO; I don’t have anything against PETCO, but I *do* get fried when I hear that the old Walgreens location has been vacant for *2 years*. Why, when Walgreens moved out, weren’t actions taken *right away* to get someone in that location? Also, what about the landlord. Why isn’t Mar and other Supervisors *all over* local landlords who just sit on vacant property because they can, or because they own so many other properties that they use vacant locations as tax write offs? So, we have landlords who are lax. Landlords should have to *prove* that they are soliciting business tenants, and if they aren’t, they should be fined a substantial sum of money. Just watch the vacancy rates drop, then.
Anyone who says that “the market rules”, and that “if PETCO competes better, they deserve the business” simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about. PETCO can use the leverage it has; it can use its municipal lobbying resources; it can use the contributions that it makes to political campaigns to extract leverage. Small retailers don’t have that advantage. In fact, thr PETCO store could remain in place *even if it loses money* over some period of years, until it slowly bleeds local pet shops dry. The PETCO corporation can cost average those loses and not even break a sweat.
For the locksmith (who I know, and who is a nice guy), I understand the frustration of vacant storefronts, and the temptation to want those storefronts occupied because that will increase street traffic, and thus, business. That said, I would ask the locksmith how he would feel if an ACE hardware store moved in there, with full key-making capabilities, and a sideline locksmith service that it contracted out. How would that feel? Well, it would feel just like the owners of the two local pet shops feel. For instance, a large custom bakery could have gone in that location; a large computer store is another possibility. How about an auto supply chain? How about one of those chain-based discount shoe stores? There are many more possibilities. btw, does anyone think that the landlord in that location gives a damn about other businesses? Nope. All he wants is a tenent that he can count on to pay the rent.
Why don’t we have Mar attempting to put in place quotas for certain kinds of businesses, making sure that over-concentration doesn’t occur. Many municipalities do this. Why don’t we do it? Why is this idea never fronted?
Why don’t we have a serious local task force that included concerned citizens, business leaders, and (so far faceless) landlords? Mr. Mar, how about that?
I’ve been around the retail world *and* municipal politics for a long time. Politicians, landlords, and some others are mostly passive in their work; they wait for opportunity (mostly personal opportunity) – they’re not proactive. If we want the Richmond to come back, we’re going to need *proactive leadership*. That means Mar needs to spend time working to make this District commercially viable. That means landlords need to be held accountable for sitting on their hands. That means that when shill attorneys try to shake down local businesses on trumped-up ADA regulation failures, someone has to go to bat for them. Capitalism is good, but lets not be so naive to think that “the market” is perfect, and that government intervention doesn’t grease the market. We need *proactive* leadership in the Richmond. Right now, we’re not getting it, and *that’s* the reason we even have this PETCO problem.
I’m the locksmith in question. Since you asked. There is an ACE hardware on 25th and Geary and they do effect my business. They cut more keys in a day then I do in a month. Also there is a paint store up the street from me that cuts keys and there is a key cutting operation at a liquor store on Balboa st just 2 blocks from me. There is another ACE hardware on clement and 11th. ACE hardware is always getting the city to step in for them to stop Home Depot from interfering with their business but I’m not big enough to stop ACE or Benjamin Moore to not interfere with my business. And i can’t buy from a co-op like ACE either but I charge less for my keys and I tend to have more selection and I have better rates of success. If ace mis cuts a car key that they charge 65.00 dollars for they can return it to the vendor and get a replacement. If i have a miscut i have to absorb the cost so i tend to keep my key machines better adjusted. But again i don’t have the clout to stop ace from interfering with my business but when ever home depot wants to move in there are thousands screaming on behalf of ace that they will be put out of business. Its a double standard that i don’t like but i accept. I have a store front because i want people to trust me and have a place they can go where they know they won’t get scammed. If you don’t want my business to survive because of a lack of foot traffic i understand. But when the independent locksmiths are all gone you can go to people like this. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1060955050168791694#. I’m a free market guy and if I am not able to stay in business it’s my own fault. But I don’t think it’s fair for the city to choose to allow for some businesses to survive at the peril of others. And that’s what’s going on here. The city steps in for ACE Hardware on the one hand which effects my business. Then they step to stop a company from utilizing a store front that could have a positive effect on my business as well as others. I’m not going to cry about though.
I want to make a follow up comment because unfortunately when I first posted I was pressed for time and couldn’t explain myself in any detail.
The argument at the meeting was Petco, a big bad corporation, was going to come to the neighborhood and destroy the small businesses. The fact is that the businesses that are going to maybe be adversely effected by Petco are those in the same industry as Petco namely the other pet product businesses. But my argument is that there are more businesses in the neighborhood that are not pet product businesses then there are that are pet product businesses. . And everyone I speak to think that Petco moving in will be good for their business. So do we help more to save fewer or do we sacrifice more to help fewer. I think that is a question we should be asking. But it’s based on the false assumption that Petco is going to destroy B&B and Cal’s when there is no evidence that it will. Both these operations claim they offer superior product, service etc, and I don’t doubt that they do. That will be the deciding factor here. They may loose some of their business to Petco for a while but inevitably their customers will come back if Petco doesn’t meet their customers demands. Why should B&B and Cal’s be afraid to compete if they know they offer better product and service? The customers who are shopping based on price are not their customers because they will buy their dog food from Safeway, Smart and Final or Costco like I do. Just because someone doesn’t have Petco to shop at doesn’t mean they shop at Cal’s or B&B. More then likely if they are shopping based on price the are probably picking up their pet food from Petco at the old Gets shopping center or maybe even from a chain that is out of SF. Why should we continue to have an edifice on Geary sit empty just to assuage the fears of those who are afraid of competition? When I was at the meeting the thing that bothered me most was the fact that everyone was railing about the corporations coming in and destroying poor little small mom and pop businesses, but when the kid suggested that Apple move in these same anti corporate mom and pop advocates suddenly applauded. Are you kidding me. Apple is a corporation that is a hundred times bigger then Petco. Their stock value places them just as having more value then Microsoft and being 2nd to Exxon in terms of value per share. What about the small businesses in the neighborhood, the repair businesses and independent computer businesses that would seemingly be adversely effected by Apple moving in. You want to talk about the mal treatment of animals. What about the stories one hears about Apples human rights violations in China Etc.. Just google Apple Human Rights Violations and see for yourself. The mom and pop small business anti corporate advocates loose their credibility when they applaud Apple over Petco. But look I’ll be honest with you if I could choose between Apple and Petco I would take Apple any day because I think it would be better for business. The fact is that Apple hasn’t made a move to locate on Geary and they wont but Petco has. A space that big has to be a formula retail of some sort. If not a pet store its going to be something else that will adversely effect some other business. I say give Petco a chance.
The reason I opened my shop was in 2008 I was laid off from my job at SFUSD. I looked for work for 6 months until my Unemployment insurance ran out. I guess I could have filed for an extension and it seems like if I did I could still be collecting it today. I opened my shop because I couldn’t find work. At the time I opened Walgreen’s was still at that location. The foot traffic brought people from Walgreens to Rite Aid and back because people were comparison shopping. The fact that Walgreens closed a month after I opened was devastating to me. I had really counted on that traffic. I had no idea Walgreens was going to close. A year later Joe’s moved across the street. Now the traffic in front of my store is almost none existent because they don’t walk between the two locations or go to Joes. The Armenian Market next door is not very helpful for my business. That is just bad luck on my part. I’m no stranger to bad luck. As a kid I grew up in foster homes and group homes. I live in 13 different foster homes growing up. I lived in 3 foster homes before I was 2 years old. Army brats talk about moving from location to location, at least they still had the consistency of a stable family. I never had that kind of stability for more then a year. Never had a stable school or friends or anything. I know what it’s like to have to deal with adversity. That’s why I opened a shop instead of relying on unemployment when things got tough for me. There is nothing that I have that I haven’t had to work hard for. I never had any parents or extended family I could go to for help when things got bad for me. So frankly I have little sympathy for people who think the city government should step in for them because of a little competition especially when the government doing so is going to adversely effect me, and yes a store the size of Walgreens just sitting empty for two years getting covered with graffiti and garbage has a direct negative impact on my business and those around me since I’m just a block away from the site. Please don’t ask me, a foster kid, someone who had nothing, and has had to work for everything he has to have to subsidize investors from Sea Cliff who invested in their neighbors business because they felt sorry for him. Let Petco move in, let them compete, let them fall on their sword if they can’t. Thank You. Brian Jones Rhinoceros Security.
Why Rhinoceros? Because it’s a tough ancient animal who stands it’s ground in spite of all the adversity it’s had to face especially from superstitious idiots who think that it’s horn (which is made of the same stuff as your hair and nails) is an aphrodisiac, and therefor kill it or amputate it in a cruel fashion because they are stupid and superstitions.
Bottom line is that any use that comes in to the vacant space will pose some type of competition to local merchants. the fact that the audience applauded when an apple store was mentioned as a tenant is laughable. If apple wanted the space they would have it. The property was advertised for several years and a tenant showed up- thats right- PETCO! One of the owners of a local pet store mentioned that the representative should “get a best buy”. are you serious? how well do you know your neighborhood when there is a best buy about a mile away on Geary? Did the local electronics guy get protection from them? no. the locksmith is absolutely dead on and i am so glad he posted his points- no business should get special preference- if one business does get special preference than all should and guess what???? if that happens there is no competitive pricing and we as customers lose out. Also the argument about money going out of the neighborhood is nonsense. do we really think that some local business do not have outside investors (as in outside of san francisco). WAKE UP PEOPLE. in the interest of select few, the neighborhood is suffering. certain owners of businesses want to help the neighborhood, but only so long as it helps them- ridiculously hypocritical. also, Phil F, you are wrong if you think landlord’s don’t want to fill space. half of the reason the spaces don’t get filled is because of the ridiculous process retailers have to go through to get a lease in SF! Blame your city, your merchants association, or your supervisor for not producing additional tenants. That reminds me- didn’t the president of the merchants association support Pet Food Express? seems like he is trying to save face here by opposing petco? does that raise a red flag to anyone?
@Phil F – you said:
“PETCO can use the leverage it has; it can use its municipal lobbying resources; it can use the contributions that it makes to political campaigns to extract leverage.”
You’re right, they can and probably do many places. How is that any worse from what is happening here? Local retailers are using their political leverage to keep competitors out and tilt the playing field in their favor. Are you in favor of this type of market distortion, but not the other? I don’t particularly like either, but don’t find one worse than the other.
“In fact, thr PETCO store could remain in place *even if it loses money* over some period of years, until it slowly bleeds local pet shops dry. The PETCO corporation can cost average those loses and not even break a sweat.”
Again, sure they could. And local retailers can use their political leverage (cough, corruption, cough) to corner the market and force residents to shop at their stores or leave the area for those products. How is that a better outcome? Aren’t both outcomes horrible?
Do you have evidence that PetCo has done this type of thing in other cities similar to ours? (Small town retail is a totally different animal than large city retail, so an example of some small town is not a valid comparison). If we’re just talking corporate behavior, in general I’d say that the proliferation of PetCo and PetSmart has been a net-positive to the well-being of animals, as they’ve helped shed light on and eliminate many of the terrible practices that used to take place in small pet stores (puppy mills, etc). Perhaps they’ve put many places out of business, but that has likely not been a bad thing in many places around the US.
The hypocrisy and corruption here is mind-boggling. We had merchants CHEERING the idea that a formula retail store from the SECOND LARGEST CORPORATION IN THE COUNTRY be opened, while actively supporting applying the law to directly benefit themselves.
Good lord, this is the level of corruption that we read about from third world dictatorships. Apply the law equally – meaning NO formula retail or ANY formula retail. I’m fine either way, but the current method of selecting which pockets to stuff is sickening.
Actually I saw that I had posted this in a different location so I’ll re post my original comment and see if it sticks. I apologize for not being more technologically savvy.
To answer Phil’s question and the group.
I’m the locksmith in question. Since you asked. There is an ACE hardware on 25th and Geary and they do effect my business. They cut more keys in a day then I do in a month. Also there is a paint store up the street from me that cuts keys and there is a key cutting operation at a liquor store on Balboa st just 2 blocks from me. There is another ACE hardware on clement and 11th. ACE hardware is always getting the city to step in for them to stop Home Depot from interfering with their business but I’m not big enough to stop ACE or Benjamin Moore to not interfere with my business. And i can’t buy from a co-op like ACE either but I charge less for my keys and I tend to have more selection and I have better rates of success. If ace mis cuts a car key that they charge 65.00 dollars for they can return it to the vendor and get a replacement. If i have a miscut i have to absorb the cost so i tend to keep my key machines better adjusted. But again i don’t have the clout to stop ace from interfering with my business but when ever home depot wants to move in there are thousands screaming on behalf of ace that they will be put out of business. Its a double standard that i don’t like but i accept. I have a store front because i want people to trust me and have a place they can go where they know they won’t get scammed. If you don’t want my business to survive because of a lack of foot traffic i understand. But when the independent locksmiths are all gone you can go to people like this. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1060955050168791694#. I’m a free market guy and if I am not able to stay in business it’s my own fault. But I don’t think it’s fair for the city to choose to allow for some businesses to survive at the peril of others. And that’s what’s going on here. The city steps in for ACE Hardware on the one hand which effects my business. Then they step to stop a company from utilizing a store front that could have a positive effect on my business as well as others. I’m not going to cry about though.
# Brian Joens Said,
I want to make a follow up comment because unfortunately when I first posted I was pressed for time and couldn’t explain myself in any detail.
The argument at the meeting was Petco, a big bad corporation, was going to come to the neighborhood and destroy the small businesses. The fact is that the businesses that are going to maybe be adversely effected by Petco are those in the same industry as Petco namely the other pet product businesses. But my argument is that there are more businesses in the neighborhood that are not pet product businesses then there are that are pet product businesses. . And everyone I speak to think that Petco moving in will be good for their business. So do we help more to save fewer or do we sacrifice more to help fewer. I think that is a question we should be asking. But it’s based on the false assumption that Petco is going to destroy B&B and Cal’s when there is no evidence that it will. Both these operations claim they offer superior product, service etc, and I don’t doubt that they do. That will be the deciding factor here. They may loose some of their business to Petco for a while but inevitably their customers will come back if Petco doesn’t meet their customers demands. Why should B&B and Cal’s be afraid to compete if they know they offer better product and service? The customers who are shopping based on price are not their customers because they will buy their dog food from Safeway, Smart and Final or Costco like I do. Just because someone doesn’t have Petco to shop at doesn’t mean they shop at Cal’s or B&B. More then likely if they are shopping based on price the are probably picking up their pet food from Petco at the old Gets shopping center or maybe even from a chain that is out of SF. Why should we continue to have an edifice on Geary sit empty just to assuage the fears of those who are afraid of competition? When I was at the meeting the thing that bothered me most was the fact that everyone was railing about the corporations coming in and destroying poor little small mom and pop businesses, but when the kid suggested that Apple move in these same anti corporate mom and pop advocates suddenly applauded. Are you kidding me. Apple is a corporation that is a hundred times bigger then Petco. Their stock value places them just as having more value then Microsoft and being 2nd to Exxon in terms of value per share. What about the small businesses in the neighborhood, the repair businesses and independent computer businesses that would seemingly be adversely effected by Apple moving in. You want to talk about the mal treatment of animals. What about the stories one hears about Apples human rights violations in China Etc.. Just google Apple Human Rights Violations and see for yourself. The mom and pop small business anti corporate advocates loose their credibility when they applaud Apple over Petco. But look I’ll be honest with you if I could choose between Apple and Petco I would take Apple any day because I think it would be better for business. The fact is that Apple hasn’t made a move to locate on Geary and they wont but Petco has. A space that big has to be a formula retail of some sort. If not a pet store its going to be something else that will adversely effect some other business. I say give Petco a chance.
The reason I opened my shop was in 2008 I was laid off from my job at SFUSD. I looked for work for 6 months until my Unemployment insurance ran out. I guess I could have filed for an extension and it seems like if I did I could still be collecting it today. I opened my shop because I couldn’t find work. At the time I opened Walgreen’s was still at that location. The foot traffic brought people from Walgreens to Rite Aid and back because people were comparison shopping. The fact that Walgreens closed a month after I opened was devastating to me. I had really counted on that traffic. I had no idea Walgreens was going to close. A year later Joe’s moved across the street. Now the traffic in front of my store is almost none existent because they don’t walk between the two locations or go to Joes. The Armenian Market next door is not very helpful for my business. That is just bad luck on my part. I’m no stranger to bad luck. As a kid I grew up in foster homes and group homes. I live in 13 different foster homes growing up. I lived in 3 foster homes before I was 2 years old. Army brats talk about moving from location to location, at least they still had the consistency of a stable family. I never had that kind of stability for more then a year. Never had a stable school or friends or anything. I know what it’s like to have to deal with adversity. That’s why I opened a shop instead of relying on unemployment when things got tough for me. There is nothing that I have that I haven’t had to work hard for. I never had any parents or extended family I could go to for help when things got bad for me. So frankly I have little sympathy for people who think the city government should step in for them because of a little competition especially when the government doing so is going to adversely effect me, and yes a store the size of Walgreens just sitting empty for two years getting covered with graffiti and garbage has a direct negative impact on my business and those around me since I’m just a block away from the site. Please don’t ask me, a foster kid, someone who had nothing, and has had to work for everything he has to have to subsidize investors from Sea Cliff who invested in their neighbors business because they felt sorry for him. Let Petco move in, let them compete, let them fall on their sword if they can’t. Thank You. Brian Jones Rhinoceros Security.
Why Rhinoceros? Because it’s a tough ancient animal who stands it’s ground in spite of all the adversity it’s had to face especially from superstitious idiots who think that it’s horn (which is made of the same stuff as your hair and nails) is an aphrodisiac, and therefor kill it or amputate it in a cruel fashion because they are stupid and superstitions.
Brian makes some good points. That said, I’m still against PETCO coming in because I think there could be better options made *if* we had a more proactive commercial promotion engine advocating for the district. Why has the old Walgreen’s location been vacant for *2 years*. Give me a break!
Yes, Brian has self-made his business, and he has made that business out of adversity. Like I said before, I’ve owned a retail store and I know how how treacherous being in retail can be – it’s unforgiving. You are on your own, period. Customers, for instance, rather than going to Brian, may go to ACE. Why? to save $.50 for a key copy. It’s complicated.
All that said, I’m incensed that the lack of diligence in this district by powers-that-be (or rather, powers-that-*should*-be) has helped keep this district in the doldrums. So now we want to start opening the floodgates to chain-owned stores. What’s next? Chipotle? McDonalds? As for Apple, why not? That is a unique retail operation, but there’s not enough foot traffic to justify an Apple store. So forget about that.
How about more people going to Brian to get their keys made? In fact, right now I’m committing to do that because I want to see Brian continue in business.
It literally makes me sick when I see and hear about faceless landlords taking on tenants that can screw up the entire commercial balance on a street. Why aren’t we better regulating landlords? They’re complicit in this – like it or not! How about Mar addressing this issue with *straight talk*, instead of finessing the issue with non-answers. I wish I had the time to run for Supervisor in this District. Seriously. Enough with political climbers who make promises and attend community meetings but don’t really accomplish anything! Am I being unfair to Mar? Please tell me if I’m off base. What major improvements or initiatives have we seen on the commercial (or any) side since he’s been in office?
I was involved in municipal politics for several years on the peninsula, and I saw the same thing happening there re: overlooking the plight of small retail, with real consequences for the demeanor of the community.
btw, all chain stores are not bad, or evil. There’s time and place to let groups like this in. I still contend, with due respect to those who favor PETCO, that this isn’t one of them. With due respect to Brian, how can we be sure about either side of this hypothetical equation? We don’t know for sure whether PETCO will help other businesses, or it will put current pet shops out of business – or both, or part of both. Maybe we should just be hands-off in the market, and let the big boys run over everyone. As far as lobbying power, a large corporation has tons more lobbying power than any neighborhood association I know of. Mar and his fellow Supervisors hear these lobbyists out.
What’s the future of the Richmond District? Frankly, I think Mar and some others are just letting nature take its course until the District has to take on large commercial chains. Boy, won’t the landlords just love that! Easy money! Follow the money folks, and the influence. Open your eyes and *support your local small retail and service vendors*! You have no right to complain unless you do – and that includes Brian, who admits to buying pet food where it’s a few bucks cheaper, at Costco’s, etc. Either we’re committed to neighborhood retail – small neighborhood retail (retail with *personality and soul*), or we’re not. The buck stops with us, for the quality and demeanor of our community, and who we elect to represent our wishes for same.
To address the key pricing issue. I charge less then ace. People go to ace because it’s convenient and they don’t understand what I do. There is a very complicated dynamic going on here and I’d like to get into it in more detail but I don’t want to bore everyone. Ace is given an unfair advantage because they don’t have to compete more aggressively with Home Depot. But that advantage they are given directly impacts my business because they are allowed to have 2 stores in an area where if they had to compete with home depot they would probably only have one. Home Depot would be a wonderful fit in the old Albersons location at the end of Clement or in the old Sears location but they would never be allowed to do business in the city. Home depot would actually have a positive impact on my business because I have to compete more with ace then i would have to compete with Home depot. The reason is because Home depot doesn’t carry the product mix that i carry, but ACE has a closer product mix to mine. Because of the artificial advantage they are given since they don’t have to compete with someone stronger then them but I am given a bigger disadvantage. Ace still uses predatory pricing and cooperative advertising etc. that gives them an unfair advantage over me but they don’t have to compete with someone stronger them them. I would rather compete against a big home depot and an ace then 2 ace stores.
One of the things I’ve noticed is that people don’t know where to go for Knife sharpening, sheet metal fabrication, machining etc. There are a lot of industries that have had to leave the city because mid level niche like ace has had a bigger impact on their business then say a home depot. For instance Home depot doesn’t offer knife sharpening. Ace does. But they don’t offer a full array of knife sharpening. They only offer a real basic knife sharpening service. But the service they do offer is the bread and butter knife servicing of a knife sharpening service. Namely residential kitchen knives. Which they don’t sharpen very well and do on grinders that are very easy to use but actually aren’t good for the knives. Since ace undercuts the knife sharpening service by offering a mediocre service at a cheaper price, 80 cents per inch instead of 1.00 per inch, they drive the mom and pop knife sharpening service out of business. Now what happens when you need scissors sharpened or a meat grinder sharpened. Well since the mom and pop, that could do this is now out of business and ace doesn’t have the technical experience to offer the a good sharpening service they are forced to purchase new scissors and meat grinders. And where do they get them? From ACE. You know where the sheet metal shops, knife sharpening services and machine shops still exist? in towns where home depot is allowed to do business because home depot keeps ace from becoming predatory. Same goes for my industry. Because ACE has an unfair competitive advantage, independent locksmiths cant survive. when independent locksmiths can’t survive you get lock smiths who scam. I had a customer today who told me that when she called a locksmith to do a service i provide for 65 dollars they were going to charge her 650 dollars. I am not exaggerating. I’ll actually get her name and phone number and post it so you can talk to her directly if you don’t believe me. With her permission of course. when you kill independent businesses because you favor others the only people that win are the protected businesses like the ACE hardware stores and the scammers, and in this instance the so called mom and pop pet stores. Why do you have to go to San Leandro or Sacramento if you need to get custom sheet metal fabrication. And why is it that both those cities have home depots but SF doesn’t have a healthier array of sheet metal shops, knife sharpening services, vacuum cleaner repair shops etc but doesn’t have a home depot but has more then a natural market share of ACE stores. It’s not just because of market demand. People come to my shop all the time asking me to fabricate sheet metal, to machine things and to repair their appliances and sharpen their meat grinders because ACE doesn’t fill the niche for the market it has driven out by an unfair advantage it has been given by not having to compete. And all i can say to these poor souls is go to San Leandro or Sacramento that’s where you can get custom made sheet metal, machining and meet grinder sharpening.
Look it’s more complicated then this but all i can say is home depot is actually better for real mom and pop operations, real specific niche operations then a mid level coop like Ace is. When you give ACE an unfair disadvantage it hurts more small businesses then Home depot does. Let home depot come to the city and you will see more knife sharpening services, sheet metal shops, and specialty machine operations come back again because cole hardware will have to have 2 stores instead of 4 or standard plumbing will have to have one store instead of 2.
In spite of all the rhetoric at the meeting the other night I would rather have an apple store at that sight because it provide better foot traffic for my business. But I’m a realist and i know it’s not going to happen. I would like to see a fry’s electronics go to that location because it’s a store where one can get things that one can be inventive with. Hell you want me to put my money where my mouth is how about a Stanly Locksmith super store. They sell safes, have all kinds of displays of electronic access control lock sets, etc… That would be a wonderful fit for that location. Sure I’d have to file for bankruptcy but it would be a boon to the neighborhood and I could probably find some way to utilize it to my advantage. SF use to have all sorts of places that were very unique and wonderful. Neat hardware stores. Appliance stores. Metal fabrication places. When I was a very young kid I can remember going to a place in the Haight where they made a belt for me. I can remember the guy measuring me, then cutting the leather, punching the holes, riveting the belt and even decorating it. I can remember the shop had all kind of purses and jackets hanging up too. We could have businesses like that again. Businesses where people actually do things with their hands. Someone asked me the other day where to go for brass smithing. I’m constantly being asked about luggage repair. Businesses like these can’t survive in this city. Instead we get a glut of coffee shops, nail salons, barber shops, restaurants, and banks. That is all that is around the Richmond. We have a bank on every corner on at 19th and Geary. When i walk into Wells Fargo there are 10 people standing around doing nothing because Banks are the only businesses that are hiring. Butt out and let the bigger retailers compete against the protected retailers and you will see more independent niche retailers come back again. Let the free market decide. Help keep my business in the neighborhood by letting other business to move in so we can get foot traffic and people eating at the local restaurants and buying coffee. Stop codling the co-ops and let them compete and you will see prices come down, knife sharpening and sheet metal shops open and their will be more creativity back in this town again. But what do I know I’m just a stupid locksmith who works with my hands.
Also to be fair about the location on Geary. I believe that the lease is still held by Walgreen’s. So the landlord is probably still collecting rent from Walgreen’s and Walgreen’s is probably calling the shots with regard to who can rent that location until their lease expires. That’s just my sense of what’s going on there. Can anyone verify that?
Brian: “I believe that the lease is still held by Walgreen’s. So the landlord is probably still collecting rent from Walgreen’s and Walgreen’s is probably calling the shots with regard to who can rent that location until their lease expires. That’s just my sense of what’s going on there. Can anyone verify that?”
It’s possible that Walgreend’s could still be on the lease, but I doubt that Walgreens would have the power to determine what goes into that space *once the lease is up*. That said, if Walgreen’s *is* still on the lease, what’s happened is that the landlord is sitting around collecting rent, with no proactive motivation to seek out a new tenant. Result? Commercial decay, and slow diminution of many nearby locations. I cannot stress enough that *this is something that Mar and other city Supervisors need to be looking into, with legislation proposed to *stop* this kind of thing from going on. *Any* landlord who owns commercial property with a vacant location in a commercial district should be *required* to show regular due diligence re: his actions to fill the space, up to and including fines if the space remains closed for more than 3-4 months. There are too many commercial (and residential, to some degree) landlords that use vacant locations as a write off against income from other property (or other investments).
Like it or not, we’re all members of a residential and commercial ecology that is completely interdependent, relative to commercial viability and variety, public safety, urban beauty, and so on. In other words, we *depend* on each other. What has happened, over years, is that certain interests trump others – with the latter often in a minority position (in terms of sheer numbers) impacting the greater good.
Going back to a prior post, why isn’t “job #1” for Mar right now to be going right out to commercial landlords and any other source he and his staff can think of to help revitalize the Richmond, *without destroying its character*. The latter is not an easy task to accomplish. It’s much easier to just let something fall apart (which is what’s happening to much of this District), and then let the PETCO’s of the world come in and “revitalize” neighborhoods, with the end result that lots of hard working retailers and their customers get pushed into a dumbed-down, homogenized version of urban life – with politicos like Mar taking photo ops next to all the “brand new stores” with a byline talking about all Mr. Mar has done. No photo ops for all those who have lost their businesses, however – and the impact that non-action and passivity has had on their livelihoods, families, etc.
There’s an easy way out of what this District is going through – i.e. just sit around and let “hands-off” take its course – or rolling up one’s sleeve and doing the *work* required to affect change that brings new opportunity to this District, while keeping the best of the old intact.
I really, truly, feel bad for the pert shops, for Brian, and for all those who are trying to swim upstream in a situation that is largely outside their control, trying to keep some semblance of this District intact. It’s a tough battle, and I will (as soon as time permits) start to play a more serious role in helping out. Don’t give up, and one way to start that is by giving all your lock and key business to Brian. Ace is doing fine w/o that business. Let stick together and do the work – including shopping local for pet food etc. that that requires. Yes, it may cost you 5% more, but what;’s the alternative. Vote with your dollars!
I’m going to snoop around and see what i can find out. But if Walgreen’s has a long term lease I’m sure they can keep out what they perceive of as threats to their business. in other words you probably wont see another pharmacy, or variety, or general merchandise store open up here. one fellow came up to me one time and asked what i thought of him putting a dollar store there. personally i would like it. But some people are less keen on a dollar store then a corporate pet store. if Walgreen’s has any decision in the matter they probably wouldn’t want a dollar store either. And if they hold the lease it’s their prerogative. i would just expect that DPW would fine them for not picking up litter and allowing graffiti to get out of hand. I’m a little skeptical about getting Mar involved. Personally i would like to see them butt out deciding who comes in etc… smacks to much of planned economics, but the city has already chosen that path like it or not so i will concede that they should be more proactive about courting business, but Mar is a Daily lackey so I don’t think he cares much about business anyway. He certainty didn’t get elected with a mandate, I personally don’t know anyone that voted for him and I don’t think he represents the over all values of the neighborhood but if you can get him to respond the more power to you I just hope you don’t make any Faustian bargains.
Let’s don’t let big corporation take over our small businesses.
Big companies like Petco destroy our communities by taking our money overseas. In these difficult times we should stand together and look for solutions.